One-piece gear for the -8 has been a previous forum subject. Other than the additional weight, there does not appear to be a downside ("Primum non nocere"). The upside would be increased capacity in a vertical drop, and better resistance to severe side forces as seen in a ground loop (a good ground loop wrinkles an RV-8 fuselage at the towers).

Hi Dan

I had a bit of a chuckle on reading your post/question.

What you assume is that I know what a standard gear build looks like! Noting that we planned the one-piece gear from the beginning of this build, I had to work backward through your question and then looked up thread http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...light=RV8+Gear to gain a comparable handle on what you are asking.

The one piece gear was the obvious answer to our design. Firstly the weight is comparable. As I understand the numbers a builder can save between 11 to 17lbs (7.7kg) over stock landing gear using Grove options, so the added weight is only in the cross-centre section in our build.

Thus, this answers you attachment question in part I think. So actually the attachment can only be made at the standard attachment points. However, those wonderful people at Grove also sent the Attachment Hardware along with the one-piece gear. I think we used larger AN bolts?

However, donít hold me to that just yet! Being in the middle of a flight pattern (BNE-LAX-JFK-LAX-BNE) I cannot confirm the above as I am floating around on your side of the Planet with only my Laptop. I am in LAX today, on my way to JFK tomorrow .

There is an image below of a standard gear attachment and the RV8s attachment (note please the bolt hardware employed in this image is seconds and was for initial positioning of the equipment only- not what we applied in the final attachment of the undercarriage)

However, if time is of the essence (you need to know to order) to answer your question then give Shane Daly a call at Innovative Wings +1 403-247-8890. Shane is an amiable chap and as this part of the build was his focus (OK I admit conceptionally, engineering and aesthetic planning was done over several Rum and Cokes in the hangar kitchenette over several weeks! ). Shane will certainly be able to answer any detailed questions you may have on the Grove gear to assist you in your build in the short-term.

The rest of your post is entirely correct regarding the operational capability of the landing gear. Of course one should avoid potholes, running off pavement edges or excessive brake use as you describe and therein the outcomes that may prevail .

Thus, this answers you attachment question in part I think. So actually the attachment can only be made at the standard attachment points.

The drop test video shows a gear on radius blocks, clamped at the longeron only, standard for a one piece gear on a wide range of aircraft. There are no inboard mount points in the video example.

I was asking if the stock inboard mount points (which tie to the steel weldments on the inboard faces of the gear towers) were used with your installation. You need not be overly familiar; the weldment, bolts, and nuts are plainly visible in the cockpit. I don't see the fasteners in your first post, fourth photo, but it is a small picture. Are they there, or were they deleted?

Your first post states a six inch gear leg extension? Was that six vertical, or six along the length of the leg?

Quote:

Shane will certainly be able to answer any detailed questions you may have on the Grove gear to assist you in your build in the short-term.

BTW I am an EAA member as well. My Airline slip’s Tech Crew in at Long Beach, Ca. Do you know if there is a Chapter near by that I could visit on my layovers please?

Thanks
Perry

Chapter 7 is based at KLGB but we don't have a hangar. To my knowledge, there is only one aircraft under construction by a member who is building a -7. To my knowledge there are only 3 RVs on the field; My -10, a friend's -7, and a -7A that is powered by a LS1 V-8, which I believe is currently for sale.

There is also a chapter at nearby Compton airport that might be a better choice to see some actual building.
-Marc

When aircraft in service have failures of a certain type, it's generally because the design was a bit marginal there. The RV-8 fore-aft landing gear loading that DanH mentioned is one of those, and is worth taking with some concern.

Especially since the RV-12, with a flat gear, has also had its issues there. In fact, Van's published a service bulletin about that. See SB 12 11-09. Note that the same company had two models with roughly similar issues. To me, that lends additional credence to Dan's caution.

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